The Will of Fire
by Treeborn Dreamer
Summary: Naruto has returned to the Leaf Village after his three-year training mission with Jiraiya, with several new tricks and a new companion, all in order to protect the village and people he loves. Pairings soon to come, rating may change as story develops. Updates on Saturdays.
1. Chapter 1

It's been a long time since I've tried my hand at fanfic, so I decided I'd give it another shot. This one should be fairly long, so hopefully I can keep updating it and not flake out... Rating may fluctuate as it goes on, not entirely sure what it will entail further on in the plotline.

The Will of Fire  
Treeborn Dreamer  
Chapter 1

As dawn broke over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the people rose from their beds to face the new day. Yawning, running water, and quiet bustling slowly filled the air, the streets began to fill as people went about their business, both oblivious and keenly aware of every other soul around them.

However, on this particular dawnbreak, one person rose not from a bed, but from her desk, rubbing sleep and weariness from her eyes and stretching her arms above her head. She stalked over to the window that sat just behind her desk, wrenching it open and closing her eyes, feeling the sunshine on her face.

She sighed deeply, opening her eyes and taking in the glorious morning over the rooftops of her home. She straightened her blouse and cracked her knuckles.

"I could stay in this moment forever. No problems, no responsibilities, no pain... Just the silent buzzing of a waking village." She breathed in the early morning air, crisp with a hint of the night's cold, and smiled softly, serene in her relative seculsion.

A short knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. She shook her head and closed the window before turning back to her desk.

"What is it?" She barked, and the door was opened by an out-of-breath kunoichi in a navy-blue robe, who was desperately trying to regain her composure.

"Lady Tsunade, news from the border scouts!"

Not too far away, a group of three men were walking side-by-side, the new sunrise shining on their backs as they strode down a forest road. They stepped perfectly in rhythm, their footfalls synced and nearly silent. Birds were chirping in the trees around them, the trees swaying in the breeze as the three passed them.

"Hey, old guy." The man on the left, standing stock-straight and hands in his pockets, ventured out into the silence, barely above a whisper. The man in the center smacked him on the back of the head.

"I've told you not to call me that a thousand times. You should show me some respect as your teacher." Nonetheless, he cracked a small smile as he said it, and that only encouraged his disciple.

"We shouldn't be too far from the village, right? Ten minutes walk or so?" The man in the center nodded, scratching his chin.

The other man, previously silent, piped up. "Can we run ahead then, sensei? It's our first time back in three years, I don't think I can wait another second!" His voice rang out loud, silencing the forest around them.

"Oh, I really don't know. I mean, you have been very respectful lately, unlike your worthless comrade here... But it would be an excellent exercise in patience to make you wait that much longer. Hmmm..." He smirked at the indignation on his student's face, and shook his head, laughing quietly.

"Sure, kid. You two go on ahead and see the village. Make sure to not cause any trouble until I get there!" The two students nodded and rushed forward, parallel blurs of orange and blue.

"Some things never change, I guess." The final man chuckled, pulling a notebook and a pen out of his vest and beginning to scribble. "Just be nice to Jin when he loses, boy."

In a reasonably-sized house, in a reasonably-priced neighborhood, a reasonably-talented kunoichi chunin woke up to the smell of baking bread wafting through her window. She sat up in bed, stretching, yawning, and rubbing at her eyes.

She glanced at her clock, and sighed at how early she had woken; during her long shift at the hospital yesterday, she had hoped to sleep in the following morning, as she would not be expected anywhere until mid-afternoon at the earliest.

"Oh well, life goes on." She stretched out and reached above her bed, opening her window fully. She stuck her head out the window, looking out into the street in front of her home; it was nearly empty, with only an elderly man out watering his potted plants. She breathed in the morning air, smiled and pulled her head back inside, closing the window and jumping out of bed, grabbing her robe on her way out of her bedroom.

"Sakura, are you awake?" A voice called out from downstairs.

"Yes, mother." she replied, pulling her robe around her and padding down the stairs. "Just on my way to the shower."

"Oh, okay dear. I just wanted you to know to pick up some groceries on your way home tonight. And to stop being so goddamn noisy when you barge in at all hours of the night." Sakura sighed, and climbed the stairs again, silently wondering why she hadn't taken Ino's offer to get an apartment downtown.

In a silent compound, on the edge of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, a woman moved silently and gracefully through deserted hallways. Her hair flowed behind her as she noiselessly ran, zipping up a hoodie and pulling her hair into a ponytail behind her. She rounded a corner and, reacting as quickly as she could, barely managed to avoid running over her little sister.

"G-good morning, Hanabi. If you will excuse me..." She tried to step around her, but Hanabi mirrored her, blocking her. Hanabi was wearing her workout outfit, and Hinata guessed she had just finished her exercises, judging by the faint smell of sweat around her.

"Good morning, Hinata. May I ask where you are going, this early in the morning?" Hinata resisted the urge to press her index fingers together, and met her sister's icy gaze with one to match.

"I d-don't h-have to answer to you, H-Hanabi. I am your older sister, and as such, you should answer to m-me." The air around them grew cold, and despite her stuttering, Hinata managed to draw herself up into a semi-formidable presence.

"Then I strongly recommend you begin carrying yourself in a way befitting the heir to our family, Hinata, rather than stealing around your own home in the wee hours of the morning." Hanabi stepped to the side and brushed past her sister, her hair shaking rhythmically as she walked.

The gate of the Village Hidden in the Leaves was wide open, and two men sat in a small booth just inside it, both yawning and fighting to stay awake for the last hour of their shift.

"Kotetsu, I'm telling you, if we get caught sleeping on the job again, we're going to wake up in Mitarashi-san's dungeon with hooks through our thumbs. Lady Tsunade was really pissed last time..."

"You worry to much, Izumo. She should stop assigning us the early morning shift if she doesn't want us to catch a quick nap now and then. Besides, we've seen exactly no one go through the gate since midnight, I don't really think that we should be expecting anyone for another hour or so."

Izumo frowned, then perked up, listening intently. "Kotetsu, do you hear that?" His partner closed his eyes, waiting silently, then nodded.

"Yeah, two pairs of feet coming up fast." The two of them looked out the gate and down the road, and saw two figures running at top speed towards them. Kotetsu stared intently at them, then laughed and sat back in his chair. Izumo frowned at him.

"And what's so funny?"

"It's him. He's back, and he's got a friend with him. The knuckleheaded ninja has returned to the Leaf."


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, I realize the last chapter was a little bit slow to start, but it should be picking up now. Thank you for checking it out, and I hope you enjoy!

The Will of Fire  
Treeborn Dreamer  
Chapter 2

"Ha! I beat you!" Naruto Uzumaki shouted, sliding to a stop just inside the gate of the Leaf Village. No more than a split-second later, Jin slid beside him, and crossed his arms.

"Yeah, sure you did, Naruto. Whatever you say." Jin said, trying to keep his panting from being too obvious; conversely, Naruto was doing the same thing.

"Hey, Naruto, is that really you?" Naruto turned around, looking for the source of the voice; Izumo and Kotetsu caught his eye, waving and smiling. "Well I'll be damned, it is you! And here I was thinking we'd finally gotten rid of you for good!"

"Gee, guys, thanks for the warm welcome!" Naruto stuck his tongue out at the two of them, and Jin walked up beside him.

"Oh, yeah, guys, this is Jin, he's another of Ero-sennin's students that I've been training with. Ero-sennin and I were planning on taking him to Tsunade baa-chan later this morning to get his paperwork all sorted out and stuff." Naruto gestured to the two chunin in the booth. "Jin, this is Izumo and Kotetsu. You'll usually find them here, sleeping on the job and being lazy good-for-nothings." Kotetsu laughed, but Izumo didn't find it very funny.

"You brat! You take a three year vacation to peep at girls with Jiraiya-sama and you call us lazy?!"

"Hey! Who are you calling a brat, lazy bum!" Naruto and Izumo began yelling at each other, and Jin took his first look around the village.

The village was vibrant and alive, even this early in the morning. There were buildings as far as he could see, some enormous and imposing, some humble and quiet. The walls surrounding the village, however, were unlike anything he had ever seen before; they towered over all else around him, looking impenetrable and indestructible. And far off in the distance, peeking over the rooftops of the village, stood the mountain that Naruto had spoken about so fondly and so often; five great stone faces, solemnly guarding the people of the Leaf.

"Cool, huh?" Jin started, and Kotetsu laughed, walking up beside him. "You've never been here before, have you? Don't be ashamed, there's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, it's incredible. In my town, there were only a handful of buildings with a second floor. Here, everything seems so enormous and powerful..." Kotetsu clapped him on the shoulder, and for the first time, took a good look at him.

Jin stood just taller than he did, with brown hair hanging around his ears, a pointed chin and tired-looking green eyes. He wore a royal blue robe over a white shirt and white pants, with a large number of belts strapped over his chest in several overlapping Xs; he wore no headband or other form of village ID, but there was no doubt in Kotetsu's mind that he was an incredibly strong shinobi.

"I'm sorry for how Izumo is acting; despite what he's saying, he really missed having Naruto around the village. It's so boring around here without him to make light of things and pull a few pranks." Jin smiled.

"And I'm sure you wouldn't accept me apologizing for Naruto's behavior, so I won't bother." The two of them laughed, which caught the attention of Izumo and Naruto, who had both stopped shouting to catch their breath.

"Hey, what's so funny over there?" Izumo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just you two, arguing like a couple of academy children and screaming like a Sand ninja in the rain." Kotetsu retorted, retreating back into the booth. "Naruto, if you and Jin want to go grab some breakfast, sightsee or visit with friends before you see Tsunade-sama, go right ahead. I think that a team from your rookie class is supposed to be meeting for training a few blocks that way." Kotetsu jerked his thumb over his shoulder.

"Thanks Kotetsu, but I think Jin and I need to wait for Ero-sennin first, since he's not a leaf nin or anything." Naruto gestured to Jin, and Kotetsu laughed.

"Well you don't have to wait too long, because there he is behind you."

"Are they absolutely sure that they spotted three shinobi traveling down that road?" Tsunade interlocked her fingers and peered over them towards Shizune.

"Yes ma'am. Three shinobi: Naruto Uzumaki, Jiraiya-sama, and another who they didn't recognize. They should be arriving any minute now, my lady."

"Jiraiya knows to come see me as soon as he gets here, so we shouldn't expect him before noon, at the earliest. Tell Kakashi to meet me here at half-past eleven, that should get him here right on time..." Tsunade trailed off, and Shizune bowed before turning to exit.

"Oh, and Shizune?" Shizune looked over her shoulder at her friend and leader. "Have someone go and fetch Sakura for me as well. I'm sure she'll be interested in our news." Shizune nodded, and strode out of the room.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed. Jiraiya and Naruto back in the village, after all this time... I wonder how much he's changed? She shook her head and opened the drawer on the left side of her desk, pulling out a small picture frame.

"Hey, Ero-sennin." Jiraiya grimaced.

"What is it now, Naruto?" The three of them were walking down the main road of the village, Jin in awe of his surroundings and completely oblivious to his two companions. Naruto and Jiraiya walked side-by-side, just behind him.

"How is Tsunade-baa-chan going to react to us bringing a foreign shinobi into the village? I know that we know he's cool, but it's not like this village is the most accepting place in the world..." Jiraiya looked at Naruto's face, which had gone unusually somber as he spoke. A vision filled his mind: a blond child, running from an angry mob, tears rolling down his cheeks as slurs were hurled his way...

"He'll be fine, Naruto. The villagers here may not be the most gracious of hosts, but you know the shinobi as well as I do. They will accept him soon enough, as soon as he gets his chance to prove himself." Jiraiya nodded, and Jin chose that moment to jump back into conversation.

"Hey, old guy, you said we were going to meet the old lady, didn't you? Shouldn't we get on that, not make her wait and all that?" Jiraiya chuckled and clapped Jin on the shoulder.

"That probably would be the most surprising thing that I have ever done, showing up when she told me to. I guess we could make our way over there, if you're so eager to meet her. What do you think, Naruto?"

"I think we should get breakfast!" The three of them laughed, and ducked into a restaurant just as Hinata Hyuuga, very nearly late for her team meeting, ran down the street, catching only a slight glimpse of a shock of blonde hair.

Hmm, that looked like... No, it couldn't be. He's off on that training mission. Hinata sighed and leapt onto a rooftop from the street.


	3. Chapter 3

Here we are, loyal readers! Chapter three really sets the story in motion, and although I'll be going with the canon for a while, I will diverge when it's necessary. Also, you should check out my one-shot story, Waiting for Rokudaime. I think it's awesome.

The Will of Fire

Treeborn Dreamer

Chapter 3

"And why, exactly, should I forgive you three for keeping me waiting so long?!" Tsunade's initial burst of joy at seeing Jiraiya and Naruto again had quickly receded, and been replaced by her trademarked rage. Naruto flinched, and with as much courage as he could, summoned a cheesy grin.

"Because we're your favorite ninjas ever?" Tsunade glared at him, folding her arms over her chest and rolling back from her desk. A cold chill went down Jin's back as he marveled at the sheer ferocity of her glare.

"Report." Jiraiya cleared his throat and stepped out from behind Naruto, beckoning for Jin to do the same.

"Over the past 36 months, Naruto and I tried to determine the best possible course that he could follow as a ninja. His chakra control is so awful, that I decided to train him in techniques that required less control and more brute force. However, as I discovered his affinity to be Wind, I was flummoxed." Naruto cut in.

"Yeah, cuz most of the Wind techniques I've seen are all about focus, control, and precision! The exact opposite of what Ero-sennin wanted to teach me!" Jiraiya grumbled under his breath about his begrudging nickname, and Tsunade laughed in spite of herself.

"Anyway, we were traveling through the Land of Wind when I decided that, for better or for worse, I couldn't teach him anything in the way of elemental jutsu. My primary Fire affinity and secondary Earth affinity were at odds to his, and despite my great skill at imparting techniques, I was to be unsuccessful in this attempt. It was then that I met with a member of my spy network, whom I knew to be Wind affinity, and I let him take Naruto's training in his hands for three months, while I gathered information on Akatsuki in places where Naruto would have been, er, troublesome to conceal." Naruto crossed his arms and nodded vigorously.

"Uzume-sensei wasn't a huge pervert like Ero-sennin, so we got along great! He taught me a lot of cool jutsu, but focused more on stealth training, since he said I was worthless at it." Upon hearing this, Tsunade's frown broke into a wide grin and she chuckled.

"Who ever would have guessed that?" Naruto stuck his tongue out at her. "And what of Akatsuki, Jiraiya?"

"From what I have gathered, they're not just after Naruto. The nine Bijuu of the world are all at risk, and I'm unsure how many have been captured, if any at all." Tsunade nodded, and as she did, Sakura burst into the office, followed by a nervous-looking Shizune.

Jin felt his heart stop in his chest. The woman with black hair, carrying a miniature pig in her arms... Everything about her...

Naruto had only a second to react before he was tackled by his pink-haired teammate.

"Naruto!" Naruto struggled to breath while in her bear hug, patting her on the back and gasping for air.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, it's nice to see you again." She released the orange-clad ninja, who took a second to fully catch his breath. "Oh, Sakura, this is Jin. Ero-sennin and I started traveling with him almost a year ago." Sakura smiled and offered a greeting to the stunned Jin, who was lost in thought over Tsunade's assistant. Naruto elbowed him in the side.

"Oh, right, where are my manners. Pleased to meet you, Sakura-san." he bowed deeply. Tsunade cleared her throat, and the three teenagers turned to face her.

"Sakura! What took you so damn long to get here? It's not like you to be so late." Sakura hung her head.

"I'm so sorry, Tsunade-sensei. I was in the shower when your messenger arrived at my home, although that is no excuse." Naruto was stunned; this was the Sakura who had so often screamed at Kakashi? Tsunade must be a terrifying teacher, he thought.

"Very well Sakura. Will you-" she was cut off by a swirling cloud of leaves in the center of her office, out of which stepped a man in his mid-thirties, wearing a mask and a shock of white hair.

"Good afternoon, Tsunade-sama. Sorry I'm late, I couldn't drag myself away from Gai's fascinating story about the springtime of youth. It was so riveting!" He turned his one eye to the opposite side of the room. "Naruto! Jiraiya-sama! Welcome back, good to see you again after so long."

"You know, Kakashi," Tsunade began, "you arrived just in time. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind taking Naruto, Jin, and Sakura out to the training grounds this fine afternoon." Kakashi nodded, and Naruto punched the air.

"Yeah! Time to show Kakashi-sensei how much stronger I've gotten!" Kakashi laughed.

Naruto, Kakashi, Jin and Sakura had long gone, but the loyal Sannin were still deep in discussion.

"We discovered Jin in the Land of Lightning. He was unlucky enough to try and pick our pockets while crossing through Umino Town; after he found out exactly who I was, he begged me to take him out of the country and train him. Normally, I would have told him to beat it, but I was intrigued by the sense of power I noticed around him, so I ran a few tests to determine his power." Jiraiya closed his eyes.

"His chakra levels ranked just south of Jonin level." Tsunade looked at her teammate closely, pouring two cups of tea and offering one to Jiraiya. He declined.

"Over the last year or so, I've seen his power grow substantially. He and Naruto sparred daily, and as time passed their taijutsu and ninjutsu became more and more destructive, harder to conceal. I'd never seen such potential reached so quickly before... In fact, it almost seemed too good to be true.

"About four months after his beginning to travel with us, I began to suspect he might be a spy, sent to infiltrate us by Akatsuki. I know at least one of them has an elaborate spy ring set up, as my spies and his sometimes cross paths."

"Do you have an idea which one of them runs the ring?" Jiraiya shook his head, and reached for the cup of tea that sat cooling on Tsunade's desk.

"I don't; he covers his tracks very well. Aside from Hoshigaki and Uchiha, I only know of a few members, and with little information on them. Namely, two famous missing-nin; Kakuzu of the Waterfall Village, and Deidara, of the Rock Village."

"Speaking of Akatsuki, Jiraiya," Tsunade interjected as Jiraiya took a drink of tea, "what of their plan to capture the jinchuuriki?" Jiraiya sighed, setting his cup of tea back on the desk.

"While Naruto was training with Uzume, I managed to make contact with three different jinchuuriki. One of them, a boy who went by Fu, told me to go fuck myself and ran off. The second, a Cloud Village kunoichi named Nii Yugito who held the Two-Tails, told us that she would start traveling with her sensei, who was even stronger than she was in full form. She listened to my offer of asylum should they require it, then disappeared. The third, an old man called Roshi, told us that he knew of another jinchuuriki that he would travel with. I figured that, in pairs, they would be much harder to capture." Tsunade nodded.

"Excellent." She took a drink of tea. "This information is better than nothing. Oh, by the way Jiraiya, the Raikage was not happy at all that you contacted their Two-tails jinchuuriki. I received a very angry letter after it happened." Tsunade laughed, and Jiraiya cracked a smile. "How long will you be staying?"

"Not too long, I don't think. I received a new lead a few days ago, and I should probably investigate it before the trail goes cold." Tsunade sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"You're getting too old for this shit, you know. Running around the world, chasing skirts and clues." Jiraiya laughed, taking a long drink of his tea.

"Somebody has to do it. Besides, I don't think I could stay in the same town as you and stay out of trouble." He smiled at her, and Tsunade shook her head.

"That Jin boy seems to have a good head on his shoulders." Jiraiya nodded. "But you always did have a thing for picking up strays, didn't you Jiraiya?"

"Yeah, but this time it wasn't nearly as selfless. I'm thinking about handing him my spy network here in a few years or so, and in the meantime he can learn and train under me." Jiraiya looked at his old teammate, and quickly noted the frown lines and forehead wrinkles written across her face.

"You don't have to worry about me, Tsunade-hime," he continued, grinning in a way reminiscent of his genin days, "I'm not going to die any time soon." As the words left his mouth, for just a second, they looked at each other like they hadn't since the heyday of the Sannin.

"I'll always come back to you, Tsunade-hime. Now, I'm going to go watch my students." Jiraiya's voice was deeper than it had been, and he looked away as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.


	4. Chapter 4

Here we are, with another week of The Will of Fire under my belt for you to enjoy. If you enjoy it, make sure to check out my other one-shots, Blonde on Blond, a Naru/Ino comedic fluff piece, and Waiting for Rokudaime, a more serious one. Hope you all enjoy, and if you could leave a review I would be ever so thankful.

The Will of Fire

Treeborn Dreamer

Chapter 4

"Alright, you two know the rules of the bell test, but I'll explain it anyway, for Jin's sake." Kakashi stood in the shade of a tall tree, lazily jangling two bells in his right hand. "The object is to take the bells from my belt. You may use any technique that you deem necessary, and I won't hold back, so you better not. Understand?" Jin nodded, grabbing the buckle of one of the belts that hung across his chest.

"Yeah, I got it."

"Very well then." Kakashi pulled his headband up from over his eye, revealing his three-tomoe Sharingan, and fastened the bells to his belt. He stepped out from underneath the tree, and walked into the clearing where the three young shinobi were standing.

"Start."

Naruto reached into the pouch on his belt and threw a few shuriken at Kakashi, who deflected them with some of his own. Naruto jumped into the air, forming a handsign.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" a clone appeared next to him, and the two Naruto began throwing as many kunai and shuriken that they could. Kakashi jumped to dodge them, and was hit squarely in the jaw by Sakura.

"Nice hit, Sakura!" Naruto cheered as Kakashi tumbled to the ground at Jin's feet. Jin hadn't moved yet, still holding onto the buckle of his first belt. Kakashi, however, exploded into a cloud of smoke.

"You idiot! Do you really think he was going to be that easy to get?" Sakura scolded, and Jin laughed to himself as Naruto and clone landed.

A safe distance away, Jiraiya watched from high in a tree. "Alright boys, let's see what you two can really do." he mumbled to himself.

Jin scanned the surrounding trees, slowly turning his head and surveying the area.

"Naruto." Naruto looked over at him. He was unbuckling the belt and pulled it off his chest, letting it hang out of his hand at his side. "Kakashi is below us." Sakura grinned.

"I had just come to the same conclusion." She said, raising her fist high and slamming it into the ground. Both Naruto and Jin fell from the force of the hit as the ground in front of Sakura was torn and shaken apart, revealing an equally-stunned Kakashi. Jin clambered to his feet.

"You failed to mention she could do that." Naruto hopped up beside Jin, shaking the dust off his jacket.

"I didn't know myself!" Naruto gulped, and made a mental note to behave better around his teammate. "Well, Jin, should we do the Mino Castle or the Bushi?" Jin cracked his belt like a whip and rolled his head from side to side.

"Bushi. That eye of his looks dangerous." Naruto nodded, and formed a handsign.

"Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Five Naruto clones appeared in a burst of smoke as Kakashi climbed to his feet.

Let's see what you're really made of, Naruto. Kakashi thought as he flashed through hand signs.

"Doton: Doryuha!" A wave of earth rose from under Kakashi, carrying him into the air. The Narutos reacted in sync with handsigns of their own.

"Futon: Hageshi Kyofu!" The six Narutos inhaled deeply and unleashed a gale of wind from their mouths, toppling Kakashi from his earthen wave and sending him spinning into the air. Jin jumped high, riding the winds that the Narutos were creating.

"Take this!" Jin swung his belt at Kakashi, who threw his arms up to block. The belt cracked on Kakashi's arms, and a boom filled the air as the Narutos ran out of breath and poofed back into one. Jin and Kakashi slammed into the ground, throwing up a huge cloud of dust.

"Did he get him?" Sakura asked, running up beside Naruto. He doubled over, trying to regain his breath, and shrugged his shoulders as he did so.

"That... usually works... but with Kakashi-sensei... who knows?" Naruto panted as the dust began to settle.

"What even happened there, Naruto?" Naruto stood straight up and shook his head.

"Jin channels his chakra through those belts of his when he strikes someone, lets him hit a hell of a lot harder than he usually does. It'll also burn you pretty badly too, if it hits exposed skin."

The dust finally settled, and Jin stumbled towards the others, shaking his head. "Another substitution. I think I might have hit him once before he got away though." Naruto cursed, and the three young shinobi jumped into the woods.

Jiraiya looked down from his tree and noticed the two women standing beneath him.

"That Sakura girl has improved incredibly. That was a hell of a punch." he noted, pulling a notebook out of his jacket and scribbling down a sentence.

"Yes, I'm very proud of my student. Yours seems to have grown quite stronger too, and might have discovered his brain too." Tsunade and Shizune laughed quietly as they watched the teenagers race off into the trees.

"That was a clever combo they used, Jiraiya-sama." Shizune added, holding Tonton close to her chest. "Did they come up with it by themselves?" Jiraiya laughed, snapping his notebook shut.

"They think they came up with it, but I'd been hinting at it for weeks beforehand. This is Naruto we're talking about, Shizune." He jumped down from the tree, landing with a slight thud. "We should move if we want to keep watching them." Tsunade nodded, and the trio began walking after the teenagers.

Sakura was the first one to catch a glimpse of silver among the green.

"Nine o'clock, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto formed his most familiar handsign as Jin rocketed to where Sakura had gestured to, a belt in each hand. Jin grunted and focused his chakra into the belts.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

"Rezatorunedo!"

Three clones appeared in a puff of smoke as Jin began spinning over his shoulder, gaining speed rapidly as his body spun into a whirlwind crackling with energy. Naruto's clones, each holding a kunai in their hands, followed the twirling Jin as he crashed into a bush that, until a split-second previously, had contained a panting Kakashi Hatake.

Kakashi had jumped high into the air, forming several handsigns.

"Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!" A huge ball of flame filled the air below the jonin, and Naruto's clones, unable to change course, flew directly into the heart of the inferno, bursting into smoke. Kakashi released the jutsu and spun around, throwing his arms up as Naruto brought a speeding kick down towards his sensei.

"Good try, Naruto, but not good enough!" Kakashi grabbed him by the ankle and, beginning to fall back to earth, spun and threw Naruto into a jumping Sakura, his back hitting her squarely in the stomach.

Sakura and Naruto crumpled as Jin, singed and grimacing, pulled himself out of the remains of a bush. Kakashi landed gracefully on his feet, looking nochalantly at the three.

"Valiant efforts on your parts, but I am a jonin after all. You'll have to try a little harder than that to get these-" Kakashi stopped, groping around on his belt where he had tied the bells. "That's funny, I know I had them a second ago..." Jingling filled the air, and Kakashi turned on his heel to see Naruto, Jin, and Sakura standing behind him, with his two former students holding the bells as three clones dispelled behind him.

"We got you with the Queen's Gambit, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto boasted, grinning from ear-to-ear. Kakashi's eye widened with realization.

"So you made some clones to distract me, and while I was busy dispatching them you snuck up behind me and grabbed them?" Naruto shook his head, laughing.

"It wasn't all that easy!" Jin nodded.

"Naruto made three clones with double the amount of chakra he normally does, allowing them to take a few hits before dispelling. After they henged into each of us, we sat back while they charged in. Once we had flushed you out, and you dispelled the clones of the clone, Sakura jumped up and snagged the bells off your belt in the middle of the ruckus, so you would have a lower chance of hearing them jingle as she jumped back out of your way as you went to throw the original clone." Kakashi nodded slowly.

"Excellent teamwork, you guys. You three are obviously too much of a match for me." Naruto grew very suspicious; Kakashi's tone was too nonchalant, too deadpan, there had to be something up. He closed his eyes and formed a handsign.

"Kai!" the world around him flashed away, and he found himself tied to a stump, with his two teammates in a similar state on either side of him.

"Kakashi-sensei!" He yelled, squirming under the ropes and working his hand behind him to get a kunai.

"Looking for this, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, holding several kunai out in front of him lazily, nose buried in his usual smut. Naruto's eye twitched out of anger and humiliation; how had he walked into a genjutsu like that?

"You do realize I am a top jonin, right Naruto? Were you expecting to beat me with kage bunshin and rasengan?" Kakashi's voice was a mixture of scolding and playful, and Naruto was furious that neither of his teammates were awake yet. "Besides, my Sharingan is a lot more powerful than it was when you last saw it." He patted his headband, smiling underneath his mask. Naruto turned to Jin, who was tied to the post to his right.

"You lazy moron! Wake up and help me kick Kakashi's ass!" Jin didn't move, and Naruto struggled against the ropes futilely; Kakashi's knot-tying skills had not declined since the last bell test.

Kakashi stood up from where he had been perched, stretched, and turned away from the teenagers. "I'm going to got get some lunch. I'll let you all free when I get back." Naruto smirked.

"Now!"

The bushes on Kakashi's left rustled; a pink blur aimed a devastating punch at the ground beneath his feet, which he jumped over. Immediately afterwards, though, he realized his mistake.

"Ninpo: Futago Kyojin no Odori!" With all of his speed, Kakashi couldn't have avoided the two blows that were aimed at him; two chakra-infused belts slammed into his chest, and Kakashi gasped for air as he hit the ground hard. Before he could move, he felt a kunai at his throat and the bells being pulled off of his belt.

Naruto grinned and cheered as Jin held up the bells and Sakura helped their thoroughly-winded teacher to his feet. "Sakura, Jin, would one of you mind untying me? Pretty please?" Sakura chuckled as she threw the kunai in her hand at Naruto; the knife sliced through the rope and it fell around the post. Naruto pulled himself up, dusted himself off, and dispelled the two shadow clones on the other two posts.

"How?" Kakashi gasped, doubled over.

"We knew that whatever plan we made, you would dissect it pretty quickly, so we decided to let you think you won. Naruto made the shadow clones and disguised them as us, and the real Sakura and I waited a ways back." Jin explained, re-fastening his belts across his chest. "Naruto got captured and put into a genjutsu, like he had guessed, so we waited until you got cocky and thought it was all over before we made our move."

Clapping sounded from the trees, and the four shinobi looked over to see Tsunade and Shizune walk out into the clearing, followed by Jiraiya.

"Excellent work, you three. Kakashi, you're not getting sloppy with old age, are you?" Tsunade laughed, and Kakashi knew better than to make the obvious joke.

Naruto, however, did not.

"Old age? That's funny, coming from a baa-chan like-" Naruto was cut off by Sakura clapping her hand over his mouth and bringing her fist down on top of his head. Shizune giggled, and Jin felt his face go red: she's even prettier when she laughs, he thought, casting his eyes to the ground to avoid staring.

"Well, as Kakashi likely needs some time off to recover from this humiliation, you three have the rest of the day off. Go show Jin around the village, you two." Tsunade waved them away, and they were all too happy to oblige.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

"Thanks a lot, Tsunade-baa-chan!"

"Alright, I think that's enough training for now, guys. Who wants to go get some lunch?" Kiba laughed, reaching up to pet Akamaru behind the ears. Hinata smiled, and Shino nodded sagely. Kiba started counting off on his fingers.

"Let's see, we went to get barbecue on Saturday, dango on Monday... Ichiraku ramen?"

"That sounds wonderful, Kiba-kun. Shino-kun?" Hinata looked at her teammate as she pulled her coat back on.

"Yes, that is acceptable. Lead the way, Kiba." Kiba grinned toothily and howled. Akamaru panted excitedly, and Hinata's thoughts drifted to the golden-haired boy who loved eating at Ichiraku.

Translation Note: I do not speak Japanese fluently, I only guesstimated with the actual Japanese phrasing.  
Doton: Doryuha - Earth Style: Earth Flow Wave  
Futon: Hageshi Kyofu - Intense Gale

Rezatorunedo - Leather Tornado

Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu - Fire Style: Fireball technique

Ninpo: Futago Kyojin no Odori - Ninja Art: Dance of Twin Giants


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, all of the pieces begin to fall into place... After such a long and exciting update like last week's, I hope this isn't too disappointing. Also, if you want to suggest pairings outside of the main ones I've already hinted at/shown, feel free to do so. And be sure to check out my other stories, including a new multi-chapter called Tales from Training that I plan on updating on every other Wednesday.

The Will of Fire

Chapter 5

Treeborn Dreamer

"Here it is, Jin, the only place in the whole village that you need to see! Ichiraku Ramen Shop!" Naruto proclaimed, hands behind his head and grinning from ear to ear. Jin, for his part, was not impressed.

"Naruto, it looks like someone stood a bento on its side."

"WHAT? How dare you insult the greatest eatery in the village, it's downright blasphemous! Once you've eaten here, you'll beg me for forgiveness from your treasonous statements!" Sakura couldn't help but laugh at Naruto's irked shouting.

"C'mon Naruto, let's eat already! Jin will come around." Sakura ducked into the shop, followed closely by Naruto, red in the face from his shouting. The cook behind the bar beamed as Naruto took his seat.

"Naruto! It's been so long since you've visited us!" Naruto grinned.

"Hey old man Ichiraku, I've been training with the ero-sennin for a while. I missed this place more than almost anything!" Jin took his seat next to Naruto, grumpy from his comrade's shouting. As he did, a young lady came to the front of the shop.

"Tou-san, what's with all the yelling- Naruto-kun!" Ayame smiled and threw her arms around his neck. Naruto smiled and awkwardly patted Ayame on the back as Teuchi stared at him menacingly.

"Well, Naruto, I'm always glad to see a long-lost customer. First bowl for you and your friends is on me!"Ayame let go of Naruto and pulled a pad of paper out of her pocket.

"Miso, just like old times!" Naruto laughed, and looked over at Jin. "What do you want, Jin?"

"Pork, please." Jin rested his elbows on the bar and propped his head up on his fingers.

"Chicken for me, Ayame-san." Ayame nodded as she finished jotting down the order, turning her back to the bar as she began making the food.

"So Naruto, did you visit anywhere interesting while out with Jiraiya-sama?" Teuchi asked, wiping out the inside of a bowl and smiling.

"Well, as I was telling Sakura earlier, we spent a lot of time in Kaze no Kuni, but we travelled as far north as Kaminari no Kuni. We spent a few weeks hiding out near Amegakure, a few months on the coast..." Naruto trailed off, deep in thought. "Anywhere I forgot, Jin?"

"That's about the size of it, Naruto. Aside from that one time, in Tetsu no Kuni..." Naruto and Jin both began laughing, as Sakura and Teuchi looked at the two of them, bewildered.

"I'll tell you about that later, Sakura, it's a great story." Sakura was about to ask for more explanation when she heard a loud squeak, followed by a thump. The three shinobi at the bar turned around, and saw a pair of feet just inside the bar: someone had collasped.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" A gruff voice asked, and Naruto ducked out of the shop.

"Kiba! What happened with Hinata?" Kiba looked at Naruto and grinned wildly.

"Oh, just a bad case of shock I think. Help me get her inside." Kiba and Naruto lifted the fainted girl and carried her into the shop, setting her on the stool on the end, next to Naruto's seat.

"How you been, man? Haven't seen you in years!" Kiba and Naruto fist-bumped, grinning, as Shino ducked inside the bar and looked around.

"Only five seats... Six of us in the restaurant..."

"Hey Shino-san, good to see you!" Sakura smiled pleasantly. Shino looked at her from behind his glasses.

"Good afternoon, Sakura-san. I see Naruto has returned to the village." Naruto heard his name, and squinted over at the trenchcoat-wearing man with sunglasses talking to Sakura.

"Hey, uhhhhhh... Shino, right? Good to see you, man!" Shino turned towards Naruto, who had extended a hand. Shino took it, shaking it warily.

"Welcome back, Naruto. Pleasure to see you again." Internally, Shino was shocked that Naruto remembered him; it seemed opposite of the Naruto that had farted in the face of the bikochu all those years ago.

"Naruto, Sakura, your food's ready!" Ayame smiled, placing the three bowls of ramen on the bar before turning to Kiba and Shino. "Would you boys like anything to eat?"

As Shino and Kiba placed their orders, Hinata was coming to, and reached up to hold her head.

Ow, what happened? I was walking with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun to Ichiraku ramen, and suddenly everything went blurry... Her eyes fluttered, and were met by a pair of cool blue eyes studying her over a bowl of ramen.

"Hi Hinata! Good to see you again!"

N, Naruto-kun! He's back! Hinata felt her face grow very hot, and she tensed up.

He looked almost exactly as she had remembered him, from his whisker-like marks on his cheeks, to his sunshine-colored hair spiking in all directions, to his eyes that looked like koi ponds in the moonlight... She felt her heart skip a beat as it truly sank in: her beloved was back.

Naruto noticed her face getting red, and looked worriedly at her.

"Hinata, are you okay? You look feverish!" He felt her forehead, and his touch sent her mind into overdrive.

However, as she fainted, she saw him dive to catch her as she fell off of her stool.

"Hey, Kakashi," Jiraiya called, jumping down from a roof into the street that Kakashi, bruised but proud, was loping down.

"Jiraiya-sama, we don't talk nearly enough anymore." Kakashi smiled, his hands in his pockets. Jiraiya frowned at him.

"I think that you and I need to have a long talk about Naruto, and where his training should go from now." Kakashi's smile disappeared instantly, replaced by his usual aloofness.

"Of course, Jiraiya-sama." The two of them began walking, Kakashi a half-step behind the Sannin.

"Naruto is much stronger and smarter than he was when I left with him, those three years ago. However, he has a lon way to go if he wishes to keep Akatsuki at bay, even with Jin beside him for now." Kakashi nodded intently, eye trained on Jiraiya's somber expression. "He easily masters powerful jutsu, and although his chakra control is still not where I'd like it, it's passable. The one area that he most needs improvement in, I believe, is one that you will be able to help him better than I can.

"However, I need you to promise me something Kakashi, to swear to me on the Yondaime's grave. You must not treat him as horribly as you did before I took him away from the village." Kakashi started.

"Excuse me, Jiraiya-sama? I may not have been the best teacher, but-"

"Sasuke or not, you were negligent at best in regards to your other students. Sakura learned nearly everything she knows from Tsunade, I can see that clear as day. And Naruto, I asked him often about how you taught him, and the most common answer?" Jiraiya paused, and Kakashi became aware that he had been holding his breath as the Sannin spoke.

"He didn't."

Jiraiya's final words hung in the air as a group of Academy students ran by. Kakashi was stunned; had he really neglected Naruto?

"I know you focused on Sasuke; he was Obito's cousin, he was nearly-identical to you in terms of skill and aptitude, but to treat Naruto as he told me you did? Unacceptable. Minato would be ashamed."

Jiraiya paused, and Kakashi stopped beside him, staring blankly at the floor.

"Jiraiya-sama, please, forgive me." He bowed, much to Jiraiya's surprise. "I was not a successful team leader for a second time, and I nearly failed my sensei's legacy." Jiraiya clapped a hand on Kakashi's shoulder and brought him back up, looking him straight in the eye.

"You have a chance at redemption, Kakashi. Here," Jiraiya produced a small scroll seemingly out of thin air, "take this. It has a detailed description of our training journey, and what Naruto will need to work on most while I am not there." Kakashi took the scroll and tucked it inside his pocket.

"Thank you, Jiraiya-sama." Jiraiya nodded and turned, walking down the street again. Kakashi fell back into step with him.

"Now, Kakashi, I feel like an order of dango is warranted. I'll even buy the first round, I dont feel like eating on the dime of a beaten man." Kakashi and Jiraiya both laughed, and Kakashi felt his heart lighten a smidgeon.

Sensei, I will not fail you this time, he swore to himself, clenching his fist.

"Kazekage-sama, news from the border scouts! Two unidentified men have entered the country and began advancing towards the village."

"That happens quite often, you know. What makes them noteworthy?"

"Their cloaks, sir. Long, black and decorated with red clouds."

"I see. Have the guards double their numbers. I want to know exactly when they get close to the village. Also, send a messenger to Konoha, make sure they are ready to move if needed."

"Yes, sir!"

As the chunin disappeared from his office, the Kazekage leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Black cloaks with red clouds... Just as he had described them.

"Naruto Uzumaki..." Sabaku no Gaara said to no one. "I will not lose to Akatsuki."


	6. Chapter 6

Here we are, another Saturday and another chapter of The Will of Fire. This week's chapter is a little shorter, but there's a lot of action and things happening so I hope that makes up for it. Feel free to review, or check out my other stories, like Tales from Training or Blonde on Blond. Thanks for being a reader, and I hope to see you again next week!

Chapter 6

"Hyuuga-san will be just fine, Uzumaki-san. Her vitals are stable, she just seemed to have swooned. We'll be releasing her once the paperwork clears, which should be in a few minutes. If you would like, you can wait for her here." The nurse smiled begrudgingly and turned, walking briskly away from the orange-clad ninja who was fidgeting nervously in the hospital waiting room.

After Hinata had collapsed, twice, within a few minutes, Naruto had decided to let Sakura show Jin around the village and get to know him better, while he took Hinata to the hospital for a checkup.

"Stupid Kiba... I can't believe he refused to help me like that! Shino too... What's wrong with those assholes?" He crossed his arms and sighed, sitting back in the cold, hard chair and looking around the room.

Aside from the nurse behind the desk, there was only a few other people around; a chunin with a cast on his left leg, a mother and a very grumpy infant in her arms, and an old man with an eyepatch over his right eye. All three were studiously ignoring him, and that suited him just fine.

The door swung open beside him, and he stood to look as a tall, skinny blonde in a nurse's uniform walked in, a rush of hot summer air following her in. She swung her long hair back and looked at the orange-wearing teenager only sparingly. She took a few steps, then took a second look at him before breaking into a large grin.

"Naruto! You're back!" She threw her arms around the confused Naruto, who only remembered her name after a second of confused brain-wracking.

"Hey, Ino! Yeah, I got back early this morning." He awkwardly patted her on the back as she pulled away from him and they both took a hard look at the other.

He was taller than her now, but only by a little bit, and his new jacket hung loosely around him, giving her the idea that he was in much better shape than he had been when he left.

She had gotten a little taller since he last saw her, but little else had changed; her hair still hung down in front of her face and down her back, she still stood with confidence and poise. He did notice, with a small tinge of pride, that he was taller than her now, for the first time in his life.

"When did you start working with the hospital, Ino?" he asked, looking back at her face, blue eyes meeting blue eyes.

"About a year ago, I started training part-time under Tsunade-sama after you guys got hurt trying to bring back Sasuke." She smiled nonchalantly, then looked worriedly at him. "If this is your first day back, why are you already in the hospital?" Naruto laughed.

"I'm not the one hurt this time! Hinata fainted while she was at Ichiraku with a couple of us for lunch, and I wanted to make sure she was okay." Ino smirked and shook her head: she knew exactly what had happened.

"Hey, Naruto, when she comes out here, make sure to buy her some food somewhere nice. She'll want some dinner after an ordeal like this. I hear she really likes Sushi Kumamoto." Ino winked and, seeing Hinata, in a wheelchair being pushed through the door behind Naruto's back, turned and walked away as Naruto turned around.

"Hey, Hinata! I'm glad you're feeling okay. What's with the wheelchair, though?" Naruto grinned, and Hinata flushed scarlet. The nurse pushing Hinata's wheelchair looked at Naruto.

"She's fine to go, but we recommend that she stay in the wheelchair until at least tomorrow morning. If she faints again, bring her back and we'll run a few more tests." And with that, the nurse turned and strode briskly out of the room.

"Well, Hinata, since you didn't really get any lunch, can I buy you some?" Hinata blushed and fought her hardest to stay conscious; Naruto, on his first day back in the village, was inviting her out to lunch! It's a dream come true!

"T-that would b-be lovely, N-naruto-kun." she managed to say, smiling weakly. He grinned and walked around her, taking the handles of her wheelchair.

"How about some sushi?" He suggested, pushing her forward and out the automatic doors of the hospital. "I hear that Sushi Kumamoto is the best in the village!"

Her favorite restaurant, how did he know? The sun was setting in front of her, the air had cooled since afternoon, and everything she had ever wanted was happening to her; she must have died and gone to heaven, she concluded, smiling weakly.

Surrounded by miles of sand on all sides, two figures trudged slowly, the sunset behind them, both wearing matching sugegasa hats and long black cloaks with red clouds; they were methodically making their way through the seemingly-endless desert. One, tall and skinny, was taking long strides and swinging his arms at his sides; the other, short and round, seemed to be dragging himself along, the sleeves of his cloak hanging empty.

"Ne, Sasori no danna, we're getting close to the village, aren't we?" the taller figure asked from behind his hat. The shorter figure, hunched over and standing up to the other's chest, merely grunted.

"Good, I'm sick of this heat already. How did you manage to survive living here for as long as you did, un?"

"Deidara, you're walking on thin ice. Let's just get this thing over with and get out of here." They walked on in silence, Deidara brushing his hair out of his eyes and sighing.

"You're absolutely no fun today, Sasori no danna. Besides, we both know that stupid border scout spotted us, we should get a move on and strike now, un."

"No, it's better to take our time." Sasori explained, the sleeves of his cloak dragging in the sand. "Their high alert will fade ever-so-slightly by next sundown, and that will be a perfect time to make our attack. Besides, they're too scared right now, they'll be fortifying themselves in their little village." They trudged on in silence for a few steps, before Deidara sighed loudly and started checking out his nails, painted deep purple.

"Ne, I really think that this shade suits me, don't you Sasori no danna?"

"I really don't care, one tiny bit." Sasori replied, before stopping suddenly and tensing up.

"We're surrounded. Evasive!" But even as he shouted, the sand started swirling around them, and Deidara shoved his hands into his pockets as the sand surrounded them fully. The sand sphere morphed, splitting the two men into their own separate sand prisons.

"Good job, Gaara." A man in black jumpsuit said as he walked up closer to the spheres. "That was easier than expected."

"Too easy. Stand back." The red-haired Kazekage stated, frowning as he raised his hand higher above him. The two spheres of sand raised into the air, and as they did, the one on the left seemed to be growing white spots. "Kankuro, make sure that your puppets are ready. Isago, stand opposite me and get the seals ready."

"Yes sir!" the two jonin nodded and jumped into action; a puff of smoke surrounded Kankuro, and as it cleared three puppets sat around him, strings of chakra connecting them to their master's fingers. Isago, a tall and skinny man with a hard jaw line, sprinted around the shadows of the sand spheres and bit down on his right thumb, forming a long series of hand signs.

Gaara, meanwhile, stared at the right sphere of sand, as the white spots grew larger and began dropping to the ground beneath it. From inside the sphere, he heard a shout.

"Art is an explosion, un!"

As the sun began to set on a long day, Jin and Sakura were standing on top of the Hokage monument. Sakura stood tall, her hands on her hips, smiling and staring out over her home. Jin, meanwhile, was doubled over and panting, sweat running down his forehead like waterfalls.

"Beautiful view, I gotta say." Jin acknowledged, gesturing out over the village. "But is it always this damn hot?" Sakura cocked an eyebrow.

"This isn't hot, this is beautiful!" Jin groaned and fell onto the stone, eyes closed and hands over his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Yet another exciting chapter of The Will of Fire. Gaara and Kankuro are in a bad spot, I wonder what they'll do in response to the Akatsuki counterattack?

Also, check out my new one-shot, Twin Freaks, featuring one of my favorite characters from the filler arcs at the end of Part 1.

The Will of Fire

Treeborn Dreamer

Chapter 7

"Art is an explosion, un!"

The following blast sent Kankuro flying backwards; Black Ant took most of the damage, as it had sat between its master and the sphere of sand, but Kankuro struggled to breath as he attempted to get on his feet in the sand.

"Damn... It... That... Was one... Hell... Of a bomb..." Kankuro heaved, his breathing returning to mostly normal as he climbed to his feet and surveyed the desert; in the dimming sunlight, Gaara and Isago were nowhere to be seen, and neither were the sand prisons Gaara had created. "Bastards must... Have escaped." He wheezed, giving a slight tug on the strings around his fingers.

Three strings were limp while the other seven taut; the Black Ant lay near broken and lifeless, almost unrecognizable from the amount of damage it had been dealt, while Crow and Salamander jumped to his command.

Damn. Oh well, I'll fix him later. Now I've got to find Gaara and stop these Akatsuki assholes, Kankuro thought as he ran towards the crater in the sand where Deidara and Sasori had been held a few moments ago.

There was no sign of anyone. Kankuro closed his eyes and, feeling the setting sun on his face, listened closely for any sound out of the ordinary. Hearing nothing, he twitched a few fingers and sent Crow jumping across the crater, hoping to get his enemies to reveal their position.

Sand began to swirl to Kankuro's left, and Kankuro breathed a sigh of relief as Gaara rose out of the sand, his usual frown deeper and more menacing.

"They are still alive." He stated, turning so that he stood with his back to Kankuro's. "I feel their footsteps all around us." Kankuro pulled his strings, sending Crow and Salamander to stand at the brothers' sides.

"Isago?"

"Out cold, a few dozen meters from my 10 o'clock. We're on our own until reinforcements arrive." Gaara's calculating tone sent shivers down Kankuro's spine; no matter how close they were, Gaara still scared him to his core when they were in the heat of battle.

"Roger. Your orders, Kazekage-sama?" Gaara didn't react immediately, Kankuro's use of his title standing out in his mind: Kankuro must be afraid, he thought, to say that.

"Have Salamander fetch Isago." As soon as he said it, the puppet reacted, practically flinging itself out to the jonin's location.

"These shinobi must be powerful," Kankuro thought out loud as he twitched four of his fingers at nearly-metahuman speeds, "to have blown apart that sand prison like that. Do you think that we're out of our league here?"

"When haven't we been." Despite the gravity of the situation, Kankuro laughed: Gaara must be scared, he thought, to crack a joke like that.

"Night is falling, Gaara. Unless we can capture them quickly, it'll be dark and we'll be at a disadvantage." Kankuro noted, wiping some sweat off of his brow. "On top of it being dark, we really don't know the full extent of their capabilities. Perhaps we should retreat to the village?" Gaara shook his head.

"We can't leave our backs open like that. Besides, another squad of jonin is on their way to assist. We stand here." As Salamander came crawling back to his master, Isago slumped over his large head, a small, white butterfly flew in front of Kankuro's face, and his eyes grew wide: no species like that lived in the desert.

"Get down!" he yelled, diving to the ground as it ignited into a cloud of fire.

"Tsunade-sama, you really should get to bed!" Shizune fretted as her friend and boss slumped over her desk, groaning audibly.

"Shizune, by the time I get back tomorrow morning there will be even more paperwork, and I'll be so far behind that I will never catch up! Let me have my moment!" Tsunade half-mumbled, half-ordered.

"Please, I must insist Tsunade-sama. You already have back troubles, and if you sleep on your desk again it will only get worse! Come on, we are going home to sleep!" Shizune marched over, lifting the mostly-asleep Hokage out of her desk and onto her shoulders. Tsunade attempted swatting Shizune away, but the assistant was persistent and, with no great feat of strength, began pulling the Hokage out of her office a few feet at a time.

Hinata Hyuuga had not been so happy in ten years. After Naruto had taken her to Sushi Kumamoto, she had asked him to wheel her to the riverfront and watch the stars with her, and as he had pushed her through the streets of Konoha people had stared at them, open-mouthed; the heiress to the Hyuuga clan in a wheelchair, being pushed by the Kyuubi brat?

She had never been invisible in a crowd; her eyes stood out like diamonds in a pile of dirt, and crowds had parted for her when she walked with her father. But the attention had never felt so intensely focused on her as it had tonight, and she was surprised by the amount of anger that she felt directed at Naruto-kun; she knew that he wasn't liked or acknowledged by most of the village, but the hate that she felt from their eyes...

Still, he had seemed completely unaware of the animosity, and had happily told her about his travels and misadventures with the 'ero-sennin' as he called Jiraiya-sama. And Hinata had settled back into her chair and closed her eyes, letting his voice flow through her and, when they arrived at the riverbank and began to watch the sun finish setting, she had never smiled as widely as she had then.

"Hinata?" She snapped out of her reverie, and looked to her left, where the golden-haired ninja was crouching and looking upwards.

"Y-yes, N-naruto-kun?" She ran her fingers through her hair nervously, looking up at the night sky: mostly black, speckled with bright stars.

"Thanks, for taking me out here." Naruto's eyes never left the sky, and Hinata couldn't help but smile at the look of wonder on his face, his eyes crinkled and mouth spread in a wide grin. "I never get much time to relax anymore, and it's really nice to wind down every now and then."

"You're welcome, N-naruto-kun." Hinata looked up at the sky just as a shooting star raced across the darkness. "M-make a wish, N-naruto-kun."

"You too, Hinata."

And unknown to either of them, they wished for very similar things.

"You're mine now, Ichibi!" Explosive after explosive was hurled at them, yet the swirling cloud of sand let nothing close to them. The sand's master, however, didn't seem so unbreakable anymore.

"Kankuro..." Gaara's chest heaved as he spoke, the only light he had from the deadly projectiles he was deflecting. "I can't go on like this too much longer, my chakra is running low." His brother, hunched over nearby, was wracking his brain for ideas on how to improve their situation, but nothing came forth.

"Baki's squad should have arrived by now, and we sent notice to Konoha just before we left, so it should get there first light. For now, we just have to hold." Kankuro's voice was low, just barely audible over the muffled explosions.

"And how is Isago?"

"Coming around. It's probably hard to sleep in all this noise." Kankuro smirked half-heartedly as Isago groaned, clutching his head.

"Wha, what happened?"

"You got your ass kicked by some S-rank criminals." Isago shook his head and sat up.

"Apologies, Kazekage-sama. I will do better next time." Gaara, as tired as he was, began to let his usual decorum deteriorate.

"Don't apologize, help us go on the offensive. We're surrounded by these criminals, under heavy fire, and my chakra is running low. If it continues to deplete, I may lose control to Shukaku." Isago nodded, and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a scroll, bottle of ink and a brush.

Jin sat in the apartment that Jiraiya had set up for him, the walls bare and the room empty aside from him, and he took stock of everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. It seemed impossibly rushed; he had arrived in the famous Konohagakure, met the most powerful woman in Hi no Kuni, fought tooth and nail against a jonin in a training exercise and come out victorious, and even met a few more shinobi his own age... It was almost too much to believe.

And now, he had a fairly-permanent home of his own.

Jin, I've taken the liberty of renting you an apartment. It's paid throughout the next year, so you have some time to save up and focus on your training, here in the village.

Jiraiya had done this almost on a whim, it seemed, and this kind of generosity was weird, coming from the old guy. He had been there, just the night before, standing with him as the stars had begun to twinkle.

Thanks a lot, old guy. Since I'm staying here, though, who's going to be handling my training?

I've talked with Kakashi, and he's told me that he'll be handling your training. He's a good jonin, and he'll be able to help you take your powers to the next level just as well as I could. Jin had nodded, and the two of them had stood, silently, in the apartment together.

Do you really need to go, sensei? Jiraiya had smiled, clapping his hand on Jin's shoulder; Jin, despite his rough-and-tumble exterior, only called him sensei when he was nervous.

You know how my life is, Jin, always have to research in new and exciting places. I'll come back soon, though, and next time you can come with me. Besides, you have Naruto here, and he'll make sure you're never bored And with that, Jiraiya had gone, leaving Jin by himself once again.

"I'm kinda bored right now, sensei." Jin laid back on the floor, staring at the blank ceiling as the dawn's light trickled in the window.

Anko Mitarashi sighed audibly, twirling a kunai on her finger and staring at the sky; she hated doing watch duty, but after the a prisoner under her care had mysteriously died after confessing to his crimes, she had been seeing a lot more of it. From her post on the wall of the village, she alternately saw miles of treetops or similar stretches of rooftops on the other side.

"Ugh, this sucks. I can't wait until I've gone home, how about you Rikimaru-chan?" She threw a huge grin across the tower to her stiff and silent compatriot. He ignored her, and her grin drooped as she uncrossed her fishnet-clad legs.

"Rikimaru-chan, pay attention to me." she flicked her kunai at the foot of his chair, and he jumped away from the knife.

"Don't you ever take this seriously, Mitarashi-senpai? We are keeping our fellow shinobi and kinsmen safe from harm with this!" Anko yawned, studying her fingernails as a heavy wind blew through the watch post, sending her trench coat fluttering behind her.

"Why would I take this seriously? I am a tokubetsu Jonin for torture, not for guard duty. Besides, the village isn't in any danger right now. So why stay high-strung?" Rikimaru's eye twitched.

"Why stay high strung? My grandfather died fighting Iwa ninjas to protect this village, and my father gave his life to defend it against the Kyuubi, I'm not about to soil my family's legacy by letting the village be destroyed under my watch!" Anko stopped paying attention as he ranted, scanning the treetops lazily and wondering how long she had until she would be allowed back into the dungeons.

"Mitarashi-senpai!" Rikimaru nearly screamed, and Anko jerked back to attention, looking over her shoulder at the chunin..

"What now?"

"A messenger hawk." He pointed, and she jumped to her feet as the bird landed on the wall in front of her, a small scroll tied around its leg.

"It's from Sunagakure." she stated, pulling it off of the hawk's leg and reading it. Her face grew stern, and she turned to Rikimaru.

"Hold down the fort, I have to deliver this to Tsunade-sama." And with that, she disappeared in a swirling wind, leaving Rikimaru baffled and alone, aside from the preening hawk.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Kazekage-sama, Kankuro-senpai, if you can defend me for five minutes more, I will be able to stop these criminals in their tracks for good!" Kankuro looked at his brother; in the pale moonlight, he could barely make it out, but Gaara was undeniably exhausted. However, there had not been an explosion in the last few minutes, so presumably the Akatsuki were tired as well.

"Gaara, perhaps we should retreat, this may be our only chance to get away." The Kazekage's eyes flashed with determination, despite the rest of his face remaining blank.

"We hold here, until reinforcements arrive. Isago, we shall not fail." Isago nodded, bit his thumb and closed his eyes.

"Saru, Uma, Tatsu, Ne..." Isago's hands moved quickly, and he hunched over two papers with a complex seal inscribed on them, the ink still fresh.

"Hey, Gaara," Kankuro looked at his brother, flexing his fingers and pulling his puppets closer to him, "can you tell where the enemies are? With your sand, I mean." The Kazekage nodded slowly, breathing deeply.

"The taller one is approximately fifteen meters from here at my three o'clock, the short one has remained motionless since the start of the battle, seventeen meters from my eight o'clock." Kankuro nodded slowly.

"Isago is planning on using that seal, isn't he?"

"I believe so."

"Then we have to get them closer, within a ten-meter radius of him, for them to be caught in it. I'll defer to you."

"You take the tall one, Kankuro. I'm assuming the short one isn't as mobile, which is why he has let the other take up a majority of the offensive maneuvering."

"Ne, jinchuuriki-san?" A voice rang out over Isago's muttering, from out across the desert. "Listen, we can go on like this for as long as we need to, un. We'll let your little friends live if you just give up and come with us." Kankuro and Gaara looked at each other, and nodded silently.

"You come into my country," Gaara shouted back as Kankuro began twitching his fingers, sending his puppets scurrying across the desert, "threaten my home, and you dare ask me to surrender? I am Kazekage, I shall never surrender to the likes of you, Akatsuki."

"A shame." A second voice, husky and deep, came from behind Gaara, and he whipped around, summoning a wave of sand. "I was hoping this would be an easy grab."

"I'm in position, Gaara." Kankuro whispered. Gaara nodded, closing his eyes and feeling the sand shifting beneath him; his mind drifted through the dunes, to the point where a short, heavy thing in a cloak was sitting, motionless.

"Now." He clenched his teeth and threw up his hand; the sand reacted as he did, and the short Akatsuki had to dodge by jumping toward his enemies, away from a shifting sand pit that had opened below him.

Kankuro brought his hands down dramatically, and his puppets attacked from behind the tall Akatsuki, who jumped over them easily and began laughing.

"Hard way it is, un!" He shouted, sprinting past the puppets and towards the three Sand ninja as Isago finished his seals.

"...Tora, Orochi, Inu!" Isago finished, his hands stopping in a Inu seal and his eyes lighting up. "Fuuinjutsu: Toki no Fuuin!" The sand around them began to swirl as the two tags before Isago glowed, and suddenly, the night was still of all movement.

Tsunade settled into her desk chair, looking wearily at the mountain of paperwork that was before her. How had sensei dealt with this, day in and day out? she wondered, wishing for a bottle of sake to help her pass the time better.

She took a report off the top, a written recap from Team Ebisu's successful D-rank mission, and sighed as she signed her name at the bottom. She was reaching for the next when a strong breeze swirled in front of her desk, sending papers flying as Anko Mitarashi shunshined into sight, clutching a scroll in her hand. Tsunade saw her paperwork fly around the office, and despite the scowl she put on, she was thrilled at the distraction.

"Anko, what the hell is going on here?" She asked with feigned menace.

"Tsunade-sama, we've received word from Sunagakure, they spotted two Akatsuki members entering their country and were headed towards the village." As she spoke, she extended the scroll to Tsunade, who snatched it away from the tokubetsu jonin and opened it, scanning it quickly.

"Find and notify the Kazakage's sister, she will be working on chunin exam preparation with Shikamaru Nara. And fetch me a squad to send as backup, they'll need all the help they can get!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Sprawled out over his bed for the first time in three years, Naruto was sleeping as soundly as anyone had ever slept before him. His mind was completely at ease, the events of yesterday replaying in his head; defeating Kakashi-sensei in the bell test, lunch at Ichiraku, the evening with Hinata...

Three sharp knocks on his window pulled him from his reverie, however, and he sat up woozily, rubbing his eyes and stretching.

"Good morning, Naruto-san." Naruto squinted out the window, and locked eyes with an ANBU member wearing a bird mask. "Hokage-sama has requested you meet her in her office in ten minutes. I would recommend wearing clothing." He added, before jumping away. Naruto blinked stupidly, still barely awake and not registering what the ANBU had said. Suddenly, however, his brain turned on and he looked down.

"Dammit! One time I sleep in the nude and some ANBU pervert looks in my window!"

"Well, as long as you keep out of trouble, your arm should recover fairly quickly. No strenuous activities for the next week, and get plenty of rest." She looked over her clipboard at the patient, who nodded emphatically.

"Yes ma'am!"

"Alright, you're free to go, Hayao-san." He stood up and bowed, before making his way out the exit. Sakura sighed and began rubbing her eyes; this last shift had been a killer, and she couldn't wait to get home a take a long shower.

"Sakura-san?" She looked up, and saw an ANBU, wearing a mask designed like a bird, standing in the doorway; those guys are so quiet, she thought in awe, I didn't even hear him approach!

"Yes?"

"Hokage-sama has requested you meet her in her office in ten minutes."

"Oh, thank you, ANBU-san." He nodded, and she turned away to pack away her things as he disappeared, as silently as he had come.

"Why would Tsunade-sama need me this early?" she wondered, pulling the hair tie out of her hair and letting the pink locks fall around her shoulders.

Three short knocks came on the door, and Jin sat up, wide-eyed from a restless night, pulling on a shirt and pair of pants as he made his way to the door. He jerked it open, and was greeted by a tall, muscular man in a ceramic mask shaped like a bird's head.

"May I help you?" The mask-wearing man crossed his arms in front of his chest, clad in body armor.

"You are the student of Jiraiya's known as Jin?" Jin shivered; this man's tone was icy-cold.

"Yes, that's me. Why do you want to know?" Jin narrowed his eyes suspiciously; only in the village twenty-four hours and he was already in some kind of trouble for something he probably didn't do?

"Hokage-sama wishes to see you in her office. I'm to escort you there to meet with your team." Jin nodded slowly, fighting back a yawn.

"Then let me grab my ninja tools. You can come in, I guess." The masked man, who Jin assumed was a member of Konoha's famous ANBU corps, followed Jin into the bare apartment as Jin stepped back into his bedroom to grab his robe and tools. The ANBU stood still, quietly observing the room he stood in; the walls were white and unadorned, with no furniture to speak of anywhere to be seen.

He's just moved to the village, according to Tsunade-sama, so that would excuse the lack of decor around the apartment, he thought, although that is usually a sign of a very lazy or unprofessional spy. I can't smell any food aroma in the air, or any particular smells at all, so this kid must be fastidious, possibly a sing of mental disorder. Will keep tabs on his behavior for a report to Tsunade-sama.

Just then, Jin re-entered the room, a royal blue robe pulled around him and fastened with no less than eight belts, criss-crossing his chest.

"Unusual attire, Jin-san." he remarked baldly, and the boy shrugged. "Are you ready to report to Tsunade-sama?"

"Yeah, yeah. Lead the way, ANBU-san." The two turned and made their way out the open door, Jin closing and locking it behind him while the ANBU watched him behind his mask.

"Hurry! We have to find Kazakage-sama before it's too late!" Baki shouted, and he was greeted with five simultaneous 'Yes, sir!' He gritted his teeth as he ran through the dunes, eyes scanning for any sign of his two former students. Please, Gaara, be careful.

"Taichou, I think I've found something!" Baki spun on his heel, eyes wide and a quick prayer on his lips. "over here, taichou!"

Baki's face drained of color as he saw what the chunin was pointing to. Just beyond the next dune, Gaara was standing tall, sweat beaded on his forehead and arms raised in front of him. Around him, Kankuro and Isago were kneeling, each facing off against an Akatsuki member, one tall and blonde, the other short and mechanical-looking. The five of them were stock-still, frozen in place.

Baki cursed as a tear welled up in his eye.

"Send word to the Council of Jonin. The Kazekage is frozen in time."


	9. Chapter 9

Another week, another chapter of The Will of Fire. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out, even though I got hit by another case of writer's block for a while there... Anyway, make sure to check out the rest of my stuff! I just updated Tales from Training this last Wednesday, and will probably post another chapter of it soon, so stay tuned, my faithful readers. And if you like it, make sure to leave a review saying so! It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling on the inside.

Chapter 9

"Sakura Haruno!" The kunoichi stood at attention, eyes fixed on her mentor and leader.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" He grinned and put his hands behind his head, still fuming inwardly at the invasion of his privacy by the ANBU earlier.

"Jin Furutachi!" He slouched, nodding at her.

"You three will be accompanying the sister of the Kazekage back to the Kaze no Kuni, as well as assisting with a threat to the security of their village, their leader, and to you too, Naruto." Naruto's grin fell off of his face, and he slammed his fist into his palm, scowling.

"Akatsuki?! What happened, Tsunade-baa-chan?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes at his nickname for her, but continued.

"This morning, we received a message from the Sand. Their border scouts had seen two figures in long cloaks entering their borders, headed in the direction of the village. From the description the scouts gave, it's most likely Akatsuki, but we can't be 100 percent certain as of now. As the Kazekage is a jinchuuriki, we can be sure that they will be headed right for him." As she said that, the door to her office swung open, and Temari, wearing four loose pigtails and looking harried, rushed into the office.

"My brother, is he alright?" Tsunade shook her head.

"We don't know that yet." Before she could continue, Naruto made the connection and shouted, pointing at Tsunade accusingly.

"GAARA IS THE KAZEKAGE? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?" Tsunade rubbed her temples and closed her eyes; deep breathes, Tsunade told herself, deep breathes are the key to staying calm.

"I assumed that Jiraiya had filled you in. But that's besides the point." Naruto caught the barely-suppressed anger in Tsunade's tone and wisely shut his mouth. "Naruto, Sakura, Jin. Your A-ranked mission is to protect the Kazekage's sister on her return to the Sand, and assist in any capacity against the Akatsuki threat that they deem necessary. You will be lead on this by Kakashi Hatake, who is late as usual. Any questions?"

"Tsunade-sama," Sakura interjected, stepping forward, "since Jin isn't officially a member of the Leaf ninja, should he really be accompanying us? No offense, of course, Jin." He shrugged.

"None taken."

"I see your point, Sakura, but on the advice of both Jiraiya and Kakashi, I have allowed Jin to treat this mission as his entrance exam. Should the team succeed, he will be instated as a Leaf genin. Anything else?" Sakura shook her head and stepped back.

"No ma'am!" The three replied as one, and Temari was surprised to see Naruto fall into line as easily as he did; the last few years have really changed him, she thought, momentarily distracting herself from her fear for her brother.

"Very well. Gather yourselves and meet at the village gate in one hour!" And with that, the chunin, genin, and genin hopeful escaped the Hokage's office, leaving Temari alone with Tsunade.

"Temari-san, I'm sorry I don't know more about." Tsunade's face softened as she walked out from behind her desk, laying a hand on Temari's shoulder. Temari nodded, taking a deep breath and fixing a stony look on her face.

"Gaara is one of the toughest shinobi I've ever seen. I know that he will be just fine. Still, a big sister is going to worry, you know?" Tsunade nodded, painful memories jumping to the forefront of her mind.

"I understand wholeheartedly. Now, let's enjoy a bit of sake before you return home." Temari smiled.

"That's what I'm talking about!"

As soon as they exited the building, Naruto felt someone tap on his shoulder.

"Naruto, can we talk for a bit?" Jin was standing just behind him, and Naruto nodded.

"Sakura, we'll meet up with you at the gate."

"Don't be late." she said shortly, before turning away and walking down the main street towards her home.

"What's up, Jin?" Naruto asked, and Jin walked past him towards a side street, beckoning him to follow. Naruto did so; whenever Jin "needed to talk" with him, he knew better than to make a big deal out of it.

"Who is Gaara, to you?" Jin asked point-blank, and Naruto sighed inwardly; he had been worried that it was going to be much worse.

"He's a friend, from when I took the chunin exams. He's from the Sand, obviously, and he's also a jinchuuriki to the Ichibi bijuu, Shukaku." Jin nodded slowly. "He had a hard life, just like I did, although he didn't have any friends to pull him out of the darkness, and he spiraled down, farther and farther into anger and sadness, and became an emotionless weapon of death. When the Sand and the Sound attacked the village, I chased after him and fought him, almost to the death, to protect my home and my friends. He had lost himself to the Ichibi spirit, and he nearly lost himself to his own hatred, but he pulled himself up with his desire to learn what made me so strong. And he saw my resolve to protect my precious people, what we call the Will of Fire here in the village, and it changed him. Well, that and the beat down I game him." Naruto laughed, and Jin smirked.

"You know, Naruto, you're not as dumb as I am sometimes tempted to think." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Jin, and Jin laughed quietly. "I went to Kaze no Kuni when I was a kid, with my parents. Tou-san was a trader, and sometimes he would take Kaa-san and I along with him, so we could see the world with him. Well, on the way back from Sunagakure, we were held up, by two nukenin from the village. We handed over all our money, but it wasn't enough for them. So they cut off Kaa-san and Tou-san's left arms, as a souvenir and a reminder." Naruto was silent as Jin talked; Jin didn't like talking about his past, and the few times Naruto had prodded, he'd gotten a belt to the face.

"So I'm a little... Hesitant, to go back. I will, but I might not stay as calm and collected as I usually am. Just... bear with me, okay?" Naruto patted Jin on the shoulder, smiling softly.

"No problem man. I've always got your back. Now, you have all your stuff on you, don't you?" Jin nodded; all of his ninja tools and equipment were sealed into a scroll that he carried in his pocket. "Awesome, all my stuff is still packed from yesterday, so we have time for some breakfast!" Naruto punched the air, grinning ear-to-ear, and Jin followed him down the street, wondering if they'd end up at Ichiraku again.

Through the desperate heat of the desert in summer, Baki carried the immobile body of his former student and current leader. His arms were stuck out at angles to the rest of him, and so Baki found himself nigh-constantly readjusting Gaara's position on his shoulder. From his position, he could see the four other members of his team in front of them, one carrying the tall, blonde enemy, two sharing the weight of the hunched-over Akatsuki, and one carrying Isago.

"Baki-taichou," a voice ventured out from behind him, and Baki took a deep breath.

"What is it, Kiyosuke?" His voice, intended to sound gruff, instead came out weary, and Baki wondered how long he had been carrying Gaara; even to a native ninja like himself, the desert seemed foreign, hostile, and vast. Only the boy currently propped on his shoulder had ever seemed completely at ease in it.

"What exactly happened to Kazekage-sama, Kankuro-sama, and Isago-san? How did they end up like this?" Baki looked over his unladen shoulder; Kiyosuke, a tokubetsu jonin of twenty-four, was panting heavily, Kankuro's seemingly-lifeless form laid over his shoulders.

"It's an ancient seal known as the Toki no Fuuin." Baki sighed, eyes checking their perimeter. "This seal is an S-rank technique, and is only taught to the Kazekage's hand-chosen bodyguard as a last resort. The seal creates a field of energy around its creator, and anything caught in this field is immobilized, unable to see, think, hear... Essentially, they are frozen in time, until the seal is de-activated."

"That's very impressive, Baki-taichou. But, why don't we just release the technique on Kazekage-sama and Kankuro-sama?"

"I wish it was that easy, Kiyosuke." Baki shook his head, sweat dripping off of his head. "Fuuinjutsu isn't something our village is known for; in fact, it's said that, as a village, we are the weakest ninja in regard to fuuinjutsu, and the strongest in ninjutsu. Releasing the seal is extremely complicated, to discourage enemy ninja from just having at it until they succeed. If the seal is tampered with too much without the correct steps being taken, the sealed ninja will die and their bodies will be destroyed, to prevent the enemy from gaining knowledge about its true workings." Kiyosuke's jaw hung open and they shuffled along in silence, the sand rustling underfoot.

"So, what happens now?" He asked finally, pulling a canteen from his belt and taking a quick drink.

"We return to the village, and take Kazekage-sama, Kankuro, and Isago to the hospital, and the two Akatsuki will be taken to the maximum-security prison where they will wait until they are unsealed, drained of chakra, and returned to their home village."

"That makes sense, Baki-taichou. Thank you for putting up with my dumb questions." Baki chuckled.

"You know, I heard something of that sort from one of my students a few years ago." Kiyosuke perked up, despite his fatigue.

"Really, Baki-taichou?"

"Thank you for putting up with my stupid questions, Baki-sensei."

"That's what sensei are for, Temari."

"Yeah, really." Baki smiled, and continued the long march back to the village.

Sakura stamped impatiently and checked her watch again; five minutes to go until they were supposed to leave for the Sand, and no one but herself and Temari had bothered to show up yet.

"I'm very sorry to keep you waiting, Temari-san." Sakura apologized, and Temari waved her off, her cheeks slightly red.

"It's no problem. Men are like that, showing up at the last second and only putting in minimal effort until there's something in it for them." Sakura laughed, and some of the tension she felt loosened.

"I know, right? I had that problem with a guy from the hospital I was seeing a year back; barely on time, never put in the effort unless he thought I was hinting at something more..." Sakura trailed off, and Temari laughed a bit louder than Sakura expected.

"Tell me about it! Shika-kun is just like that as well, in everything he does! The chunin exams are going to start in two months and he comes up to me, hands in his pockets and barely awake, asking if we'd sent the notices out yet. He was supposed to send them weeks ago! And even when we're alone, he-" Temari's potentially-embarrassing story was cut short by the arrival of a habitually-late jonin, a book in his hand and a bag over his shoulder.

"Sorry I'm late Sakura, something came up last minute that couldn't be avoided. Where's Naruto and Jin?" Kakashi looked around the gate area, but the only other people he saw were Izumo and Kotetsu, lazily relaxing in the security booth.

"Actually, Kakashi-sensei, you're a bit early. And Naruto and Jin aren't here yet, though they should be here soon." Kakashi nodded, and looked over at Temari, who had taken a seat on the ground beside Sakura.

"Temari-san, always a pleasure." Temari smiled at him, clutching her fan on her lap.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" Kakashi and Sakura turned to see Naruto and Jin jumping from a nearby rooftop and landing a few feet away from them, big goofy grins plastered on their faces.

"Glad to see you two are on time." Sakura nodded at them, and Kakashi smiled under his mask.

"Alright, we should get on our way. The journey to Sunagakure is a long one." Kakashi said, offering his hand to help Temari to her feet. She gratefully accepted, and Naruto nodded solemnly, the grin leaving his face.

Gaara... I'm not going to let you beat me!


	10. Chapter 10

Hey guys! I am so sorry about missing last week's update, my family situation has been kinda crazy for the last two weeks. Most everything is sorted out now, and I finally bring you the next update of The Will of Fire. Thanks for waiting, and I hope you enjoy the read!

Chapter 10

The village was as if it was empty; not a voice broke the silence as Baki and his men marched down the main street, friends and foes held on their backs. Shinobi and civilian knew better than to ask questions now; answers would be given in time, and their duty was to wait and be respectful now.

Baki felt hundreds of eyes on him as he trudged, head hanging, farther into the heart of the village, where they would hand off their comrades to doctors and their enemies to jailers. He knew there was nothing he could have done, yet the shame of failure did not ease up in his mind. His student was over his shoulder like a knapsack, he had arrived too late to help him. If he had been quicker, if he had been strong enough to get there just an hour earlier...

His reverie was broken by a shriek. He looked up, startled, as a brown-haired kunoichi stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes. He walked up to her and beckoned her to follow him, and her unsteady footfalls echoed in his mind.

"Matsuri, Gaara-sama is alive. He is just, indisposed." Baki whispered, although he wasn't sure if she heard him; her eyes had not left her teacher, petrified in a fighting stance, her dark eyes meeting his pale green, and he could read the pain, confusion, and anger on her face as plainly as he could her headband

"Baki-sensei..." Her words were soft and barely audible, and he struggled to hear them, even in the near-absolute silence the village provided for this solemn exchange. "Will, will Gaara-sama..." He sighed and hung his head again, and she clutched her hands to her mouth, sobbing quietly as Baki walked, and he willed himself not to lose control of his emotion.

I'm sorry, Matsuri. I failed you.

Deeper inside the village, an old man sat by a small pond, a fishing pole in his hands as he waited to die. No fish went after his bait, and after all these years he wondered whether there were any fish to be caught, or whether he had chosen to fish in an empty pond all those years ago.

His eyebrows hung down on either side of his face, and he often felt them tickle his cheeks when a wind blew by. The wrinkles in his face were deep, and his eyes were heavy-lidded and sunken back into his face, almost like they, too, wanted to escape life in Sunagakure.

He looked around the fishing hole, and noticed the other fishing rod close to his, with no fisherman to claim it. He reached for it, slowly, and just as his hand was about to grasp it, an old woman jumped out from behind a rock and shouted, "Boo!"

"Ahh!" The old man reeled and the old woman cackled, hobbling over and taking a seat behind the fishing rod.

"Thought I'd gone away to die, Ebizou?" She grinned a toothy grin and checked her line: nothing again.

"You crazy old woman, you nearly stopped my heart!" Ebizou scolded, checking his line as well: also nothing. He shook his head, clutching his chest as Chiyo laughed and laughed. "Why were you hiding behind that rock, Chiyo?" She stopped laughing, wiping a nonexistent tear from her eye.

"Word from the brats in the village. They found the Kazekage, and brought him, his team, and his enemies back." Ebizou raised an eyebrow, a more arduous task than most imagine.

"They're all alive?" She nodded, and he sighed. "Tactical risk, if they allowed themselves to get captured that easily. Might be a trap." Chiyo shook her head, her face stern.

"They're caught in the Toki no Fuuin."

Naruto, Sakura, Jin, Kakashi and Temari, many kilometers away, were unaware that the silence they traveled in was what awaited them in the Sand. Naruto, for all his usual bluster, found himself out of jokes to tell.

The trees were just as silent, barely a rustle as the five ninja rushed through them, and the silence was as all-consuming as any that Sakura could remember. She glanced at Naruto, whose face was blank and staring pointedly ahead, and she noticed how different he looked without his usual smile; the lines on his cheeks seemed darker, his eyes as well, and his lips were drawn tightly together, the face of a killer shinobi, she thought to herself. It's what I expect Kakashi-sensei's face to look like, she noted to herself.

Also looking at the formerly-boisterous ninja was the Sand kunoichi, although for different reasons. The haze over her had faded from her sudden exercise and fresh air, but she still felt a an occasional slip in her step as she ran, slips that normally different affect her. And with her eyes mostly on the blond, she found herself wanting to be carried in his strong arms, feel his hot breath on her neck and his rippling muscles underneath his shirt... She shook her head. Drinking always made her eyes feel lecherous, and in the back of her mind, a different face, a stern yet relaxed one, was what she truly wished for as she dashed through the seemingly-endless trees.

"There's no doubt about it. If Deidara and Sasori had succeeded in their mission, they would surely have checked in and passed our checkpoint. Something has gone wrong in their mission." The voice filled the cavern as two grey eyes, with rings encircling the pupils, scanned the other shimmering figures in the low light.

"It's entirely possible they were held up. They are fighting the Kazekage, after all. Lend some faith towards Deidara and Sasori." Across the room, a red-eyed figure spoke, with almost-boredom in his voice.

"Faith?" The first figure blinked, stock-still in the deep silence of the room. Six other sets of eyes were fixed on him, while the seventh had his blood-red eyes fixed on his nails. "Faith is not something a god gives, it is something He receives. Konan, Zetsu, I want you to do some reconnaissance over Sunagakure, report back whether Deidara and Sasori have failed or succeeded." Two quick nods met his request as they faded out of sight.

"Hidan, Kakuzu, ready yourselves to go after the Nibi. If Deidara and Sasori have failed after all, we should prepare for more resistance at the next target."

"Ugh, dammit. Whatever, let's get going." Two more figures faded from the room, leaving just three.

"Itachi, Kisame, continue your surveillance of the Yonbi and await further orders." They did not respond as they disappeared, and the eyes closed slowly, letting the silence wash over him.

"Soon, this world will see the dawn of our new age."

Inside a hospital, deep inside Sunagakure, the hum and rhythmic beeping of machinery soothed Baki as he watched his two former students, motionless and stony on two plain, white beds.

The doctors hadn't been able to decipher the complexity of the seal, and as such could not modify their position; Gaara lay on his back, arms extended and face set in determination, while Kankuro was crouched, his hands in front of his face and his fingers in the middle of his puppet ninjutsu, the chakra threads hanging limply: they had been cut by the admitting nurse. In the next room, Baki knew that Isago was still fixed in his fuuinjutsu stance, the tiniest hint of fear in his eyes.

The Toki no Fuuin... Baki had never been anywhere close to good with fuuinjutsu, and he was just as baffled as the attending medic-nin were; the Toki no Fuuin was a Sunagkure S-rank kinjutsu, only taught to one trusted jonin a generation, and currently, one of the only two ninja who knew how to perform it was sealed inside it, lost to time until the seal could be undone. The other, Baki knew, was retired from active duty, and had never seen the seal performed before.

Still, as Baki sat among the beeping machines in the sterile white room, he hoped for a miracle that may never come. All of the recorded uses of this seal had been as traps or in battle, and the sealed enemies were immediately killed with the sealer activating it from a distance.

Hurry home, Temari. Your brother needs you. Baki thought, as he clasped his hands together and lowered his head.


	11. Chapter 11

I messed up again! Family stuff reared its ugly head and I missed last week's update. So, hopefully, this chapter will make up for it! I really like where this story is headed now, and the whole narrative is going into full swing. Thanks for reading, and check back next week for another chapter of The Will of Fire.

Chapter 11

The desert air stung against their faces, arid wind striking them across the cheek as they hurried down the final stretch of their long journey. The Leaf ninja and Jin tried their best to shield their eyes from the hot sand flying across their faces, but Temari walked without caring, her gaze fixed firmly on the not-too distant gate of Sunagakure. Her mind was as tired as her legs were; three days of travel was hard, three days of travel while worrying about your baby brothers was as close to hell that she could imagine.

Sakura clapped her on the shoulder, saying nothing. Temari appreciated her simple silence, and smiled weakly as she trudged through the hot sand. The silence of her fellow kunoichi, however, was not emulated by the men.

"Finally! We're finally out of this damned desert!" Naruto cheered, pumping his fist in the air and high-fiving Jin; he had his robe pulled around his face, as the sand and heat was more intense than the last time he had been here.

"Temari-san, is Sunagakure always this... Unforgiving?" He asked through his makeshift mask. Kakashi, a few steps behind them with his nose buried in his book, let out a small chuckle.

"This is very mild for this time of year, actually. Usually it's quite a few degrees hotter." Jin groaned and Temari cracked a small smile.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get in the village already!" Naruto cheered before charging forward, an exasperated Sakura and amused Kakashi following him, leaving Jin and Temari behind in a cloud of sand.

"These Leaf ninja are so weird." Jin coughed, and Temari nodded. "It's not just me, right? They're weird to other people too?"

"Yeah, Naruto is definitely a strange one. But not in a bad way." Temari agreed, drying her eyes and gritting her teeth. Jin looked at her, several questions on the tip of his tongue that he decided it was better not to ask.

Even with her eyes red and slightly puffy, she was a pretty girl; a slightly stern-looking face surrounding her teal eyes, her dirty-blonde hair in four ponytails. He held back his questions and gestured towards the village.

"Lead the way? I'm not familiar with the area." She smiled at him and jumped off toward the village, with him following close behind.

Behind the Kazekage's desk, Baki kept his head low as he worked through mission reports, status updates, and financial statements; Gaara normally ran a very tight ship, so the paperwork backup was minimal. Baki, however, hated paperwork intensely, and so the work went slowly; if I had any hair left, Baki growled to himself, I'd be pulling it out.

As he dove into yet another status update from an undercover team in Kaminari no Kuni, the door swung open and Matsuri burst in, panting. He contained his glee at the distraction and stood up behind the desk.

"Baki-sama, ninja from Konoha are at the front gate with Temari-sama. What do you want us to do?" Baki threw down his pen and strode out from behind his desk.

"I'll be going to meet them myself." Matsuri nodded, and Baki beckoned for her to follow him out.

"Baki-sama, they don't know what happened to Gaara-sama. Should we let them know?" Baki paused just inside his door, hand on the knob. He sighed, keeping his eyes averted, and walked out the door, leaving her behind, confused and alone.

"Suna is just as hot as I expected it to be." Jin groaned as he and Temari caught up with his team, just outside the great gate of Sunagakure. The guards, straightening up as they saw Temari, waved the Leaf ninja through, keeping a wary eye on them as they walked into the village.

Just inside the gate, a tall man with half his face covered by a veil was waiting for them, arms crossed and partial-face stern-looking. He spotted Naruto, however, and his expression softened a bit.

"Leaf ninja, welcome to Sunagakure. I am Baki, the acting Kazekage, and this is my assistant, Matsuri. I'm sure Sakura and Naruto remember her." Naruto and Sakura waved at the girl who had stepped out of Baki's shadow and now stood just behind his shoulder. "She will be taking you to a briefing room, where you can be informed of the situation. Temari," and here his voice softened, "if you'll come with me." Temari nodded, her blood going cold: he never spoke that softly to anyone, she thought as she followed him away from the group.

"Hey Matsuri, this is Kakashi-sensei, I don't think you met him last time, and this is Jin. He trained with me the last few years..." Naruto happily chatted as Matsuri beckoned for them to follow her down Suna's main road. Jin took the opportunity to look around the village.

Everything was still as brown and red as he remembered, mostly spherical and cylindrical buildings that looked like they were made of the ever-present sand; the ground melded into the walls, and the village stretched farther than he could see, despite the faint view of the surrounding cliffs on the horizon. Even the people seemed to melt into the surroundings; most of the villagers were in shades of brown, black, or dark green, eyes averted from the visitors. Jin also noticed a few shadows on the roofs of buildings, staying close to them; prudent, he thought, to have a few ANBU following former enemy ninja.

"You know, I was brought up hating this village." Kakashi noted, his hands in his pockets and his eye closed. "The Sand was our enemy in the Second World War, and my sensei told me stories about his sensei taking down whole brigades of enemies by himself. All the old shinobi had war stories about the terror of the puppet brigade, or the slow death that was caused by their poisons. When fighting the Sand, they always told me, never think you're safe." Jin stared at Kakashi; his face was on the edge of showing a hint of emotion behind his mask, and the words were flowing from him more readily than Jin had seen of him in the short time he'd known him.

"Tou-san was particularly wary. He often spoke in awe of the abilities of Sand ninja, and told me stories of the great duels he fought and battles they waged. His skill was so legendary, he earned himself the nickname 'Konoha's White Fang.' But he never bragged of his own skill, just of the skills of who he fought."

"Kakashi-san? Why are you telling me this?" Kakashi looked at him, almost surprised.

"Because you need to know what we're dealing with here. In the Leaf, people will tend to forget we fought many bloody wars with the Sand, even though we nearly had one three years ago. Here, they never forget. If you show a passing knowledge of their village's history with ours, and are respectful, you'll go a lot farther than you would if you acted like, say, Naruto there." He gestured to the blonde, who was still chattering away in Matsuri's ear. "Sure, Naruto is very friendly, but perhaps friendly isn't what the Sand will want us to be, especially after our fathers fought and died swearing vengeance upon their village."

Jin nodded slowly, looking past Kakashi as they followed the bright orange ninja loudly talking to their guide.

The hush was unnatural, Naruto thought, as he stood at the foot of the bed, staring at the frozen face of the red-haired jinchuuriki. Kakashi and Sakura were standing nearby, while Jin had excused himself to stand outside the room with Matsuri.

"Naruto?" Sakura's words fell on unhearing ears, and Naruto clenched and unclenched his fist absentmindedly. She tried again, and saw the emptiness in his eyes.

Sitting on a swing by himself, crying as his classmates left, one by one, with their parents. Hearing low curses, hushed and hurried whispers, people crossing the street to avoid walking by him. The self-blaming, hiding behind a smile; it's my fault they don't like me. I have to prove myself to them! Prove my worth!

Gaara was one of nine people in the world who knew what that isolation and pain felt like. Gaara, who had become Kazekage while he had done push-ups and ninjutsu drills with an old pervert, was lying, unsensing and motionless, in a hospital room, while he stood.

"It's not fair!" He blurted angrily, slamming his fist into his palm. Kakashi and Sakura started, looking at Naruto, who had clenched his teeth. "Gaara can't end up like this!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Matsuri said as she re-entered the room, her eyes diverted from Gaara, "but Isago-san is the only one in the village who knew how to counter the seal that they're trapped in." Naruto's ears perked up.

"Seal? This is fuuinjutsu?" Matsuri nodded, puzzled at Naruto's sudden change from anger to glee.

"Ero-sennin taught me a ton of fuuinjutsu! Let me take a look at it, I'll crack it by the end of the week!"

"That will never happen." A raspy voice sounded from outside the door, and everyone looked to see a very old man with long eyebrows and sunken eyes walk into the room. "The Toki no Fuuin is an S-rank Sunagakure fuuinjutsu, and no outsider shall ever be allowed that type of... You!" The old man pointed at Kakashi menacingly, his wrinkled face twisting into a snarl.

"Me?" Kakashi asked, pointing at his own chest.

"You bastard! White Fang! You have the indecency to waltz into this hospital, after all those you put into it?" The old man, with much more swiftness than any had thought possible of him, pulled a kunai out of his robe and lunged at Kakashi, jabbing the blade straight for his jugular. "This is for my niece and nephew!"

Kakashi, still puzzled, easily dodged the kunai and jumped backwards, landing behind Kankuro's bed.

"You have it all wrong, I'm not the White Fang! That was my father, Sakumo." Kakashi held up his hands in front of him.

"Ebizo-sama! Please, they're not our enemy!" Matsuri pleaded, standing in front of the fuming old man, who stared reproachfully at Kakashi as he put his kunai away.

"Any way, young man there will be no examination of that seal for you. Besides," Ebizo added with a sigh, "even our top fuuinjutsu master can't figure it out anymore."

"Oh yeah? And what kind of fuuinjutsu master can't figure out a seal?" Naruto blurted, clenching his teeth and slamming his fist into his open palm.

"The one you're looking at." Ebizo pulled himself up as tall as he could, staring into Naruto's eyes, daring him to challenge him. Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine as he met the old man's gaze.

"Still," Naruto conceded, breaking the staring contest, "Gaara is my friend! I want to be able to help him, and I was taught fuuinjutsu by the best Konohagakure has to offer! The man who taught the Yondaime Hokage himself! Gama Sennin no Myobokuzan!" Ebizo's eyes widened, and he sensed the power emanating from the boy; he also sensed a very powerful seal on the boy's stomach, nearly bursting from the power it held back. He sighed, and nodded.

"He and I had many great battles in my youth. If he taught you fuuinjutsu... Very well. IF you wish to examine the Toki no Fuuin, speak with Baki. I will oversee you though, to ensure all Sunagakure secrets stay within our walls." Naruto was about to cry out in joy, but he caught a glimpse of Gaara's face, solemn and statuesque on the bed, and nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I'm not interested in your secrets. I want my friend back." Sakura stared at Naruto and smiled; maybe he had grown up.

As she walked into her home, removing her sandals and placing them beside the door, Hinata was smiling softly and remembering her date with Naruto a few days before; sure, maybe they had never said the word "date" outright, but he had taken her to dinner and watched the stars with her, and she blushed a bit every time she thought of how worried he had been for her to have taken her to the hospital like that!

"Hinata-sama, welcome home." A branch family member greeted her, smiling thinly. "Hiashi-sama wishes to meet with you in his study."

"Oh, thank you, Hoheto-kun." He nodded and left, his topknot bouncing slightly as he walked. Why does Tou-sama want to speak with me? Hinata thought as she made her way through the house. Perhaps he's heard that I'm nominated for Jonin?

She arrived at his door and knocked once, standing still outside the door. He called for her to come in, and she stepped inside.

Hiashi was on his knees, facing a small shrine. His long black hair hung behind him, and she noticed slight flecks of gray hidden inside it. He nodded his head, mumbled, and turned to face her, his face stony as usual.

"Hinata, I've been speaking with Hanabi quite a bit lately, and I thought it was only fair that you heard her claims and were given a chance to defend yourself." Hiashi's tone was softer than she was used to, and it caught her off-guard.

"To be blunt, she has been questioning your right to succeed me as clan leader." Hinata snapped from her daze and stared at her father.

"Tou-san, she's a genin. What right would she have over her older sister?"

"Well, her byakugan mastery comes much more naturally than yours has, although your skill is not to be denied." The way he spoke sounded strange, like he was having a difficult time staying calm. "She also made a point of your association with Naruto Uzumaki, and how that might reflect poorly on the clan in the eyes of more traditional parties." Hinata stared at her father blankly.

"Now, normally I would have told her off for her insubordinate behavior, but I have received other complaints about your choice of company. Hinata-chan, I'm against a wall here. You're going to have to make a stand against Hanabi-chan publicly if you wish this outcry to end. Prove that you are worthy of being the heiress." Hiashi's voice fell into a decrescendo as he spoke, and his shoulders sagged; this had been weighing on his mind quite heavily, Hinata realized.

"After your uncle Hizashi... I've tried my best to gradually work the clan back to harmony between branch and main house, but this kind of incident will only deepen the divide. If you two fight for this, clan law dictates the loser be inducted into the branch family immediately. I don't want that for either of my girls." Hinata moved toward her father and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I d-don't want that either, Tou-san. I will resolve this with Hanabi, and give her no reason to doubt my worthiness as successor." Hiashi smiled weakly, and Hinata couldn't remember the last time she had seen that smile.


	12. Chapter 12

Hey guys, it's another chapter! Thanks for all the reviews and favorites, it really means something to me. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 12

"Well, Uzumaki-san, we've laid out a replica of the Toki no Fuuin that Isago used to seal the Kazekage and the Akatsuki." Ebizo wheezed as Naruto, eyes set on the scroll in front of him, wiped some sweat from his brow and slowly unrolled it. "The seal is an all-or-nothing seal, so if it is broken, all those frozen by it will regain consciousness." he continued.

They were deep inside the Kazekage's office building, in a stone room with nothing to decorate it but torches on the wall. Ebizo and Naruto stood on opposite ends on a small table in the center, the small scroll spread out in between them.

"Right. And you said that you know how this seal works?" Ebizo shook his head.

"I never deployed it in my long career. Fifty-five years ago, the first Kazekage taught it to me, and told me that it was for use only in the most dire of situations. I taught it to Isago when I retired from active duty almost ten years ago, and hadn't thought about it until a few days ago. And try as I might to solve it, my old age has bested me." He shook his head again, letting out a deep sigh. "My sister, Chiyo, took a look at it as well, and she came up with nothing either. She was quite the Fuuinjutsu master herself, you know." Ebizo continued to talk, but Naruto stopped listening.

His eyes scanned every line on the scroll, noted every flourish. He tracked the seemingly-countless levels of seal encryption, the cross-hatching of the binding lines... He whistled, and Ebizo snapped his head toward the genin.

"What?"

"This seal is extraordinary. I knew it had to be, to seal five different people in time like it did, but this is beyond anything I've ever heard of before. I've seen jinchuuriki seals that were less complex than this!" Naruto was shaking his head and smiling widely as he threw up his signature handsign.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Seven Naruto clones appeared, and they all crowded around the table, staring at the seal and muttering to themselves. Ebizo raised his formidable eyebrows.

Kage bunshin at that level, while still so young? And using them to analyze the seal like that... Ebizo smiled wryly. Konohagakure never ceases to surprise me.

"So there's not going to be a fight?" Jin asked again, looking at Kakashi over a bowl of rice. Kakashi nodded.

"The Kazekage's men captured the Akatsuki agents, and they're being held in the most secure prison that Sunagakure has to offer. If we're lucky, we'll be allowed to interrogate them alongside the Sand's intelligence squad. If not, we'll return to the village with the satisfaction that the Kazekage is alive and well, our alliance is still strong, and that two highly dangerous criminals have been locked up."

"Couldn't this have been done by a single person? We could've just sent Naruto with Temari, and the rest of us could be back in the village doing a useful mission of some kind." Jin complained, suddenly wondering where the rice in Kakashi's bowl had disappeared to; it had been there when he started talking, and then he blinked and the bowl was empty. Had Kakashi eaten it that quickly?

"Well, I'm sure it could have been, but there's more to it than that." Kakashi explained, Jin still looking bewildered at the empty bowl in front of the jonin. "The Kazekage is both a friend of Naruto's and the most ardent supporter of ongoing peace between our nations. So, as a token of our goodwill, we sent a highly-skilled team to provide back-up should the Kazekage require it in the fight against Akatsuki." Kakashi smiled happily, and Jin shook his head, carefully eating a mouthful of rice.

"That's fair. Still, I wish we could get some action against enemies of their level. It'd be great to see you go all-out, Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi looked at him solemnly.

"I faced Akatsuki once before, and it necessitated a trip to the hospital. We are here as support, so that the Sand ninja may fight at one hundred percent with unexpected backup. And if they managed a draw against a Kage-level shinobi like the Kazekage, it won't be an easy task, battling them." They sat in silence for a while, Jin chewing his food thoughtfully; it felt to him that they were forgetting something.

"Wait, where'd Sakura end up?" He blurted out, and Kakashi's eye widened.

Nearly three thousand feet beneath Kakashi and Jin, three men in Sand headbands walked an empty corridor; one held a lantern, one held a ring of countless keys, and the third held six bento.

"Can you believe we're actually using this old place?" The key bearer said, twirling the keyring on his forefinger as he walked. The footsteps of the three ninja were in sync, and they echoed down the dark passageway.

"If these Akatsuki are as dangerous as Kazekage-sama said they were, I'm not surprised." The lantern holder answered, feeling his hand slowly growing hot.

"No reason to slack on security, even though they're not going anywhere." The bento carrier stated, wishing he could stop and eat.

"Still, the Deep hasn't been used since the Kiri war." The key bearer yawned and stretched. "If there's something big on the horizon like that fortune teller said, this is where I'd store these guys." The other two groaned.

"What? Just because you guys don't believe in spirits doesn't mean I can't. Besides, I've never been to the Deep before, so I'm entitled to some superstition." The key bearer stuck out his tongue, then squinted into the darkness ahead of them. "That's the door."

The tunnel ended just thirty feet from where they were, and in it there was a steel door with six key holes. The key bearer sprinted ahead and got to work, unlocking each lock with the speed only impatience and practice brought. As his fellows reached him, he swung the door into a cavernous room of stone.

Three hundred feet tall, three hundred feet wide, three hundred feet deep, the Deep was large enough as to seem endless in the feeble light of the lantern and the guards' electric lights, which were strung along the wall at shoulder height from the door to the table, chairs, and supply of ninja tools that was the Deep's guard station.

"'Bout time you showed up! We're starving and dying to go topside for a day or so!" A voice called out from the guard station, and the key bearer, lantern holder, and bento carrier followed it to their new post.

"Welcome to the Deep, now give us our food!" The guard called again, and the six bento were laid out on the table. "The other two are checking on the Akatsuki." The guard jerked his thumb over his shoulder, towards the center of the Deep. The key bearer glanced where he was pointing, and widened his eyes.

Suspended in the center of the Deep, held by six chains as thick as tree trunks, was a small box, barely visible.

"The Akatsuki are in there?"

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she panted heavily, eyes scanning the surrounding clearing; not a hint of her enemy around her.

She turned around slowly, hands in front of her and her feet shifting from stance to stance. Her jacket lay on the ground near her feet, ripped and dirty, and her hair hung around her face in sweaty clumps.

Must, maintain, focus... She thought as a hard wind blew her hair back; a scent, barely detectable in the air, coming from the North! She turned and formed her handsign.

"Juuho Soushiken!" Her fists glowed blue, with roaring, lion-shaped clouds of chakra, and they connected with the surprise attack from the two feral ninja.

They whimpered and rolled away in a heap, bursting into a cloud of smoke.

"Ouch Hinata, great hit!" Kiba coughed, struggling to his feet and clutching his jaw. "Hanabi will never see it coming!" Hinata frowned, lowering her arms and de-activating her byakugan.

"She will, Kiba-kun. Her b-byakugan is as strong as m-mine, and she is b-better at the clan's techniques. Each of us will be able to see everything the other tries to do."

"Then perhaps you should attempt a style that she would not be familiar with." Shino walked out of the trees, startling Kiba.

"How do you do that?!" Kiba barked, and Akamaru yapped as he flopped onto his side. Hinata shook her head.

"She's able to analyze f-fighting styles fairly quickly, Shino-kun. I don't think it would throw her off-step t-too badly." Shino frowned, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I have no doubts that you can win, Hinata, if it comes down to a fight. But perhaps you can challenge her in an arena that is closer to one of your areas of strength?" Hinata and Kiba looked at him, intrigued, as he launched into his plan.


End file.
